Hanger for mounting cables

ABSTRACT

A cable hanger includes: a base panel having opposed ends; a pair of arms, each of the arms attached to a respective end of the base panel and having a free end; a pair of locking projections, each of the locking projections attached to a respective free end of the arms; and a pair of gripping members, each gripping member attached to a respective arm, each gripping member having opposed ends, wherein one of the ends of each gripping member is fixed to the arms and the other of the ends of each gripping member is fixed to the arm or to the base panel. The arms and locking projections are configured to spread apart to enable insertion of a cable between the arms, wherein the gripping projections engage and grip the cable, and wherein the locking projections are configured to be inserted into the aperture of the supporting structure.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Nos. 62/139,057, filed Mar. 27, 2015;62/206,558, filed Aug. 18, 2015; and 62/248,460, filed Oct. 30, 2015,the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

invention relates generally to devices for supporting cables and, inparticular, to hangers for securing cables to support structures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cable hangers are commonly used to secure cables to structural membersof antenna towers and or along tunnel walls. Generally, each cable isattached to a structural member by cable hangers mounted atperiodically-spaced attachment points.

Antenna towers and or tunnels may be crowded due to the large numbers ofcables required for signal-carrying. Over time, as systems are added,upgraded and/or expanded, installation of additional cables may berequired. To conserve space, it may be desirable for each set of cablehangers to secure more than a single cable. Certain cable hangers havebeen constructed to secure multiple cables; other cable hangers have astackable construction that permits multiple cable hangers to beinterlocked extending outwardly from each mounting point/structuralmember. Stacked and multiple-cable-type cable hangers significantlyincrease the number of cables mountable to a single attachment point.

One popular stackable cable hanger is discussed in U.S. Pat. No.8,191,836 to Korczak, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedherein in its entirety. Hangers disclosed therein have generally a U- orC-shaped profile with rounded arms. A locking projection extends fromthe free end of each arm, and the “root” of the hanger that spans thefixed ends of the arms has a large aperture. The hanger can hold a cablebetween the arms; gripping of the cable is enhanced by short fingersthat extend inwardly from the arms to engage the cable. Hangers can be“stacked” onto each other by inserting the locking projections of onehanger into the large aperture of the next hanger.

One variety of cable hanger of this type is the SNAP-STAK® hanger,available from CommScope, Inc. (Joliet, Ill.). The SNAP-STAK® hanger isoffered in multiple sizes that correspond to the outer diameters ofdifferent cables. This arrangement has been suitable for use withcoaxial power cables, which tend to be manufactured in only a fewdifferent outer diameters; however, the arrangement has been lessdesirable for fiber optic cables, which tend to be manufactured in amuch greater variety of diameters. Moreover, fiber optic cables tend tobe much heavier than coaxial cables (sometimes as much as three timesheavier per unit foot), which induces greater load and stress on thehangers.

SUMMARY

As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a cablehanger for securing a cable to a supporting structure having anaperture. The cable hanger comprises: a base panel having opposed ends;a pair of arms, each of the arms attached to a respective end of thebase panel and having a free end; a pair of locking projections, each ofthe locking projections attached to a respective free end of the arms;and a pair of gripping members, each gripping member attached to arespective arm, each gripping member having opposed ends, wherein one ofthe ends of each gripping member is fixed to the arms and the other ofthe ends of each gripping member is fixed to the arm or to the basepanel. The arms and locking projections are configured to spread apartto enable insertion of a cable between the arms, wherein the grippingprojections engage and grip the cable, and wherein the lockingprojections are configured to be inserted into the aperture of thesupporting structure.

As a second aspect, a cable hanger for securing a cable to a supportingstructure having an aperture comprises: a base panel having opposedends; a pair of arms, each of the arms attached to a respective end ofthe base panel and having a free end; a pair of locking projections,each of the locking projections attached to a respective free end of thearms; and a pair of gripping members, each gripping member attached to arespective arm, each gripping member having opposed ends, wherein one ofthe ends is fixed to a respective arm or to the base panel, and whereinthe other of the ends engages a feature mounted to the arm. The arms andlocking projections are configured to spread apart to enable insertionof a cable between the arms, wherein the gripping projections engage andgrip the cable, and wherein the locking projections are configured to beinserted into the aperture of the supporting structure.

As a third aspect, a cable hanger for securing a cable to a supportingstructure having an aperture comprises: a base panel having opposedends; a pair of arms, each of the arms attached to a respective end ofthe base panel and having a free end; a pair of locking projections,each of the locking projections attached to a respective free end of thearms; and a pair of gripping members, each gripping member attached to arespective arm, each gripping member having opposed ends, wherein afirst end of each of the gripping members is fixed to a respective armor to the base panel, and wherein a second end of each of the grippingmembers includes a locking feature that is configured to interlock witha second end of the other gripping member. The arms and lockingprojections are configured to spread apart to enable insertion of acable between the arms, wherein the gripping projections engage and gripthe cable, and wherein the locking projections are configured to beinserted into the aperture of the supporting structure.

As a fourth aspect, a cable hanger for securing a cable to a supportingstructure having an aperture comprises: a base panel having opposedends; a pair of arms, each of the arms attached to a respective end ofthe base panel and having a free end; a pair of locking projections,each of the locking projections attached to a respective free end of thearms; a pair of flex members, each flex member attached to a respectivearm, each flex member having opposed ends, wherein one of the ends ofeach flex member is fixed to the arms and the other of the ends of eachflex member is fixed to the arm or to the base panel; and a cantileveredgripping member extending from each flex member. The arms and lockingprojections are configured to spread apart to enable insertion of acable between the arms, wherein the cantilevered gripping members engageand grip the cable, and wherein the locking projections are configuredto be inserted into the aperture of the supporting structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art cable hanger.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the prior art cable hanger of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a cable hanger according to embodiments of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the cable hanger of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a cable hanger according to alternativeembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the cable hanger of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a cable hanger according to additionalembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the cable hanger of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a partial top view of a cable hanger according to furtherembodiments of the invention with a smaller diameter cable in place.

FIG. 10 is a partial top view of the cable hanger of FIG. 9 with alarger diameter cable in place.

FIG. 11 is a partial top view of a cable hanger according to stillfurther embodiments of the invention prior to securing of a cable.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the cable hanger of FIG. 11

FIG. 13 is a top view of the cable hanger of FIG. 11 after securing of acable.

FIG. 14 is a partial top view of the cable hanger of FIG. 3.

FIG. 15 is a partial top view of a cable hanger according to additionalembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a cable hanger according to furtherembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 17 is a top view of the cable hanger of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a cable hanger according to furtherembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 19 is a top view of the cable hanger of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a portion of a cable hanger accordingto still further embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 21 is a top view of a portion of the cable hanger of FIG. 20.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. Thisinvention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the embodiments that are pictured anddescribed herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It will also beappreciated that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in anyway and/or combination to provide many additional embodiments.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms that areused in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood byone of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Theterminology used in the below description is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting of the invention. As used in this disclosure, the singularforms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms aswell, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also beunderstood that when an element (e.g., a device, circuit, etc.) isreferred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it canbe directly connected or coupled to the other element or interveningelements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to asbeing “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element,there are no intervening elements present.

Referring now to the figures, a prior art cable hanger, designatedbroadly at 10, is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The hanger 10 includes curvedarms 5 that extend from a flat base 6. Locking projections 7 extend fromthe free ends of the arms 5. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, thelocking projections 7 are inserted into a reinforced hole 8 in a towerstructure 4 to mount the hanger 10 thereon. The base 6 of the hanger 10includes a reinforced hole 9 that can receive the projections of anotherhanger 10 to mount a second cable.

As can be best seen in FIG. 2, the arms 5 include arcuate sections 14that together generally define a circle within which a cable can begrasped. Two cantilevered tabs 12 extend radially inwardly and towardthe base 6 at one end of the arcuate sections 14, and two cantileveredtabs 16 extend radially inwardly and toward the base 6 from the oppositeends of the arcuate sections 14. The cantilevered tabs 12, 16 aredeployed to deflect radially outwardly when the hanger 10 receives acable for mounting; this deflection generates a radially inward forcefrom each tab 12, 16 that grips the jacket of the cable.

As discussed above, fiber optic cables tend to be much denser thancoaxial cables, and therefore generate a much greater load than coaxialcables of similar diameter. Also, fiber optic cables are currentlyoffered in a larger variety of outer diameters. Accordingly, the hanger10 may not be suitable for the mounting of some fiber optic cables.

A hanger that may address some of the issues above is illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4 and designated broadly at 110. The hanger 110 has a base106, curved arms 105 and locking projections 107 that are similar tothose of the hanger 10 discussed above. However, rather than having onlycantilevered tabs extending from the arms, the hanger 110 hascantilevered locating projections 112, 116 and straight gripping members118. These are described in greater detail below.

The locating projections 112 are positioned near the ends of the arcuatesections 114 near the base 106. As can be seen in FIG. 4, each locatingprojection 112 extends away from its respective arm 105 at an angle thatis generally tangent to the outer diameter of a cable captured withinthe arms 105. Similarly, the locating projections 116 are positionednear the ends of the arcuate sections 114 near the locking projections107, and extend generally tangent to the outer diameter of a cablecaptured by the arms 105. Each of the gripping members 118 is fixed atboth ends of a respective arcuate section 114 and extends as a straightbeam to define a chord of the arcuate section 114.

When the hanger 110 is used to mount a cable, the arms 105 are spread toenable the cable to slip between the locking projections 107 and intothe space S between the arms 105. The locating projections 112, 116 canhelp to locate the cable within the space S. The outer surface of thejacket of the cable presses into and deflects the gripping members 118;this deflection provides a gripping force on the jacket that can holdthe cable in place.

The gripping force of the gripping members 118 can be considerablyhigher than that provided by the cantilevered tabs 12, 16 of the priorhanger 10. The force applied by a deflected cantilevered beam can becalculated asN=(3DEI)/L³   (1)wherein

N=the force normal to the beam;

D=the amount of deflection experienced by the beam;

E=elastic modulus of the material of the beam;

I=moment of inertia through the cross-section of the beam; and

L=length of the beam.

In contrast, the force applied by a deflected beam fixed at both endsis:N=(192DEI)/L³   (2)wherein N, D, E, I and L are as defined above in equation (1). Thus, fora beam of equal length and cross-section (such that L and I are the samein both equations), and formed of the same material (such that E is thesame in both equations), the force generated by an equal deflection is64 times greater (i.e., 192/3) by a beam fixed at both ends than by acantilevered beam.

Accordingly, assuming that the deflection of the gripping members 118 isessentially the same as that of the tabs 12, 16, the gripping members118 exert 64 times as much gripping force onto the cable jacket as thetabs 12, 16. This markedly increased gripping force can assist in themounting of heavier cables, such as fiber optic cables.

This concept can be applied in different ways. For example, FIG. 14 is apartial top view of an arm 105 and gripping member 118 of the cablehanger 110. As can be seen in FIG. 14, the length of the gripping member118 is less than that of the length of the arcuate section A of the arm105 extending between the ends of the gripping member 118. As such, ifthe arm 105 and gripping member 118 were stamped from a single sheet ofmetal (such as sheet steel), their different lengths should be accountedfor. One technique for doing so is illustrated in FIG. 15, wherein thegripping member 118′ is offset from the arm 105′ by two bridge segments119. The bridge segments 119 may be sized such that each bridge segment119 has a length that is approximately half of the difference in lengthbetween the gripping member 118′ and the arcuate section A. Employingbridge members 119 of this size would render the combined bridge members119 and gripping member 118′ approximately the same length as thearcuate section A, which would facilitate stamping the cable hanger 110from a single sheet of metal. The mismatch in lengths between thegripping member 118 and the arcuate section A may also be addressed byincluding curvature (e.g., concave or convex) in the gripping member118.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, another embodiment of a cable hanger,designated broadly at 210, is shown therein. The hanger 210 has a base206, curved arms 205 and locking projections 207 that are similar tothose of the hangers 10, 110 discussed above. However, rather thanhaving only cantilevered tabs extending from the arms, the hanger 210has serpentine locating projections 212, 216 and serpentine grippingmembers 218. These are described in greater detail below.

The locating projections 212 are positioned near the ends of the arcuatesections 214 near the base 206. As can be seen in FIG. 5, each locatingprojection 212 has a central portion 212 a that extends away from itsrespective arm 205 at an angle that is generally tangent to the outerdiameter of a cable captured within the arms 205. Similarly, thelocating projections 216 are positioned near the ends of the arcuatesections 214 near the locking projections 207 and have coils 216 a, 216b that extend generally tangent to the outer diameter of a cablecaptured by the arms 205.

Each of the gripping members 218 is fixed at both ends of a respectivearcuate section 214. Each gripping member 218 includes three verticalruns 218 a, 218 b, 218 c connected by two horizontal runs 218 d, 218 e.The vertical run 218 a is attached to the arm 205 at its upper end via abridge 218 f, and the vertical run 218 c is attached to the arm 205 atits lower end via a bridge 218 g. The vertical runs 218 a, 218 b, 218 c,the horizontal runs 218 d, 218 e, and the bridges 218 f, 218 g definegenerally a vertical plane that forms a chord within the arcuate section214 of the arm 205.

In the same manner described above for the hangers 10, 110, the hanger210 is deployed by separating the arms 205 to permit insertion of acable. The outer surface of the jacket of the cable presses into anddeflects the gripping members 218, which generates a gripping force onthe jacket that can hold the cable in place.

Although the gripping members 218 are beams with fixed ends in themanner of gripping members 218 above, the gripping force generated bythe gripping members 218 will be somewhat less than that of a straightbeam of similar horizontal span due to the ability of the grippingmembers 218 to twist along the vertical runs 218 a, 218 b, 218 c. Assuch, a serpentine arrangement such as that shown herein can reduce thegripping force of a cable should a lower force be needed (for example,to enable the arms 205 to close sufficiently to insert the lockingprojections 207 into a mounting hole), and can be employed to “tune” themagnitude of the gripping force. Similarly, the serpentine arrangementof the locating projections 212, 216 can reduce the force imparted bythese structures to the cable.

Another embodiment of a cable hanger, designated broadly at 310, isillustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. The hanger 310 has a base 306, arms 305and locking projections 307 that are similar to those of the hangers 10,110, 210 discussed above; however, as can bee seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, thearms 305 are relatively straight and lack arcuate sections. Also, thehanger 310 lacks locating projections, and includes arcuate grippingmembers 318 that are fixed at one end near the base 306. Each grippingmember 318 is supported at its opposite end by a respective a brace 320or other feature that extends inwardly from the end of the arm 305 nearthe locking projections 307. The gripping members 318 include bent tips318 a that engage the ends of the braces 320.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the cable hanger 310 receives a cable betweenthe arcuate surfaces of the gripping members 318. As the grippingmembers 318 deflect to receive the cable, the tips 318 a engage thebraces 320. The presence of the braces 320 supporting the tips 318 a ofthe gripping members 318 provide support that can be approximated as a“pinned” joint (i.e., a hinge joint, wherein the member rotates aboutthe joint but does not translate in any direction relative to thejoint). The equation for calculating the force generated for a beam thatis fixed at one end and pinned at the opposite end is approximately:N=(6DEI)/L³   (3)wherein N, D, E, I and L are as defined above in Equations (1) and (2).(The denominator of Equation 3 is not exactly L³, but is calculated witha lengthy equation that simplifies to approximately L³, so forsimplicity L³ is used herein). Thus, for a given length of beam anddeflection, the normal force is approximately twice the magnitudeexerted by a cantilevered beam.

Applying equation (3) to the gripping members 318 of the cable hanger310, the gripping members 318 should provide approximately twice thegripping force to a cable that cantilevered gripping members of similarlength would provide.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, another embodiment of a cable hanger,designated broadly at 410, is shown therein. As can be seen in thepartial view of FIGS. 9 and 10, the hanger 410 has a base 406 and arms405 (only one of which is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10); the cable hanger 410has locking projections on the arms 405 that are not shown in thefigures. The cable hanger 410 includes gripping members 418 with arcuatesections 418 a and angled tips 418 b that are mounted as cantileveredbeams in an undeflected state. When, as shown in FIG. 9, a relativelysmall diameter cable 450 is mounted within the gripping members 418, thedeflection of the gripping members 418 is sufficiently small that thetips 418 b of the gripping members do not contact the arms 405. As aresult, the gripping force imparted to the cable 450 by the grippingmembers 418 can be calculated using Equation (1) above for acantilevered beam. In contrast, if a relatively larger cable 460 ismounted within the gripping members 418, the deflection of the grippingmembers 418 is sufficient that the tips 418 b of the gripping members418 engage the arms 405 (see FIG. 10). In this instance, the grippingforce imparted to the cable 460 by the gripping members 418 can beapproximately calculated using Equation (3) above for a fixed-pinnedbeam, which of course produces a larger gripping force than acantilevered beam. (It is noted that there may be some sliding of thetip 418 b relative to the arm 405 as deflection increases, such that itis not a true “pinned” joint, but Equation (3) should still suffice forapproximating the gripping force). Thus, the gripping members 418 of thecable hanger 410 can produce a higher gripping force for larger diametercables, which presumably are heavier than smaller diameter cables.

Referring now to FIGS. 11-13, a further embodiment of a cable hanger,designated broadly at 510, is shown therein. The cable hanger 510includes a base 506, arms 505 and locking projections 507 as discussedabove. However, the cable hanger 510 includes two differently configuredgripping members 518, 519. The gripping member 518 includes an arcuatesection 518 a and a radially-inwardly extending locking tab 518 b with ahook 518 c. The gripping member 519 has a similar arcuate section 519 a,but has a locking panel 519 b with horizontal slots 519 c (shown in theinset of FIG. 11).

To mount a cable with the cable hanger 510, the locking projections 507are spread to enable insertion of the cable 550 between the grippingmembers 518, 519. The free ends of the gripping members 518, 519 arethen brought together, with the locking tab 518 c of the gripping member518 being inserted into an appropriate slot 519 c of the gripping member519 to grip the cable 550. The locking projections 507 are then insertedinto a mounting hole of either a mounting structure or another cablehanger in the manner described above. The multiplicity of slots 519 ccan provide the cable hanger 510 with the flexibility to mount a varietyof cable sizes.

Those of skill in this art will appreciate that locking features otherthan the locking tab 518 and the slotted locking panel 519 b may beemployed with cable hanger according to embodiments of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17, another embodiment of a cable hanger,designated broadly at 610, is shown therein. The cable hanger 610 issomewhat similar to the cable hanger 110, inasmuch as it has a base 606,curved arms 605 and locking projections 607 that resemble those of thehanger 110 discussed above. The cable hanger 610 also has flex members618 that define chords across the arcuate sections 614 of the arms 605.However, as can be seen in FIG. 17, cantilevered gripping members 612,616 extend from the flex members 618 and into the cable-gripping space Swithin the arms 605. It can also be seen in FIG. 16 that the flexmembers 618 are tripartite, with two vertically offset horizontal runs618 a, 618 c merging with the arcuate sections 614 of the arms 605 and avertical run 618 b extending between the horizontal runs 618 a, 618 c.The gripping members 612, 616 extend from opposite sides of the verticalrun 618 b and are vertically offset from each other.

In use, the cable hanger 610 is employed in the same manner as the cablehanger 110; a cable is inserted into the space S between the arms 605,which are then closed around the cable as the locking projections 607are inserted into a mounting hole. The cantilevered gripping members612, 616 can help to grip and to center the cable within the space S.The presence of the flex members 618, which are fixed end beams like thegripping members 118 of the cable hanger 110, can provide additionalgripping force in the manner described above in connection with thecable hanger 110.

Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19, another embodiment of a cable hanger,designated broadly at 710, is shown therein. The cable hanger 710 issomewhat similar to the cable hanger 610 in that it includes a base 706,arms 705 and locking projections 707, as well as having tripartite flexmembers 718 with vertically offset cantilevered gripping members 712,716. However, the arms 705 of the cable hanger 710 are not smoothlyarcuate, but instead include straight sections 705 a, 705 b and a curvedsection 705 c. Also, the flex members 718 are angled, with thehorizontal run 718 a emerging from the straight section 705 a of the arm705, and the horizontal run 718 c being angled relative to the verticalrun 718 b to meet the straight section 705 b. The straight sections 705a, 705 b include raised ribs 705 d, 705 e to provide additionalstiffness to the arms 705.

The cable hanger 710 is employed in the same manner as the cable hanger610, with a cable being inserted into the space S between the arms 705and being gripped by the gripping members 712, 716. Notably, the shapesof the straight sections 705 a, 705 b of the arms 705 and the horizontalruns 718 a, 718 c of the flex members 718 are selected so that a similarlength of material is used for each (i.e., the combined lengths of thestraight sections 705 a, 705 b are approximately the same as thecombined lengths of the horizontal runs 718 a, 718 c) to facilitatestamping of the material and to maintain strength of the stampedmaterial.

Referring now to FIGS. 20 and 21, another embodiment of a cable hanger,designated broadly at 810, is illustrated therein. The cable hanger 810is similar to the cable hanger 610 of FIGS. 16 and 17 described above.The cable hanger 810 has a base 806, curved arms 805 and lockingprojections 807 that resemble those of the hanger 610 discussed above.The cable hanger 810 also has tripartite flex members 818 (only one ofwhich is shown in FIGS. 20 and 21) that define chords across the arcuatesections 814 of the arms 805, with cantilevered gripping members 812,816 extending from the flex members 818 and into the cable-grippingspace S within the arms 805. However, in this embodiment each of thegripping members 812, 816 includes two longitudinal gripping flanges 822at its free end. The gripping flanges 822 are located on each side of anopen-ended slot 820 and extend with flat edges 824 into the space Sbetween the arms 805.

In use, the cable hanger 810 is employed in the same manner as the cablehanger 610; a cable is inserted into the space S between the arms 805,which are then closed around the cable as the locking projections 807are inserted into a mounting hole. The gripping flanges 822 improve thegrip of the cable hanger 810 on the cable.

During installation, the flat edges 824 of the gripping flanges 822 canslide over the cable jacket relatively easily, as the sliding actionoccurs along the length of the flat edges 824. This configuration canfacilitate installation compared to prior hangers that have includedindividual barbs rather than flanges, as the barbs tend to “hang up” onthe cable jacket as the hanger is slid into place. Once in position, thegripping flanges 822 can provide superior gripping force to hangers thatemploy a coined edge as a gripping feature. Moreover, the presence ofthe gripping flanges 822 increases the moment of inertia of the grippingmembers 812, 816, which stiffens the gripping members 812, 816 andthereby increases the gripping force.

Those of skill in this art will appreciate that other configurations ofgripping flanges may be employed. For example, in some embodiments onlyone of the gripping members 812, 816 may include a gripping flange, oronly one gripping flange may be included on each gripping member. Thelength and height of the gripping flanges may vary. Other variations mayalso be suitable.

Those skilled in this art will appreciate that the cable hangersdiscussed above are typically formed of a metallic material, such assteel, and may be formed as a unitary member (often from a flat blankstamped from sheet steel and bent into a desired shape).

Also, it will be apparent to those of skill in this art that the cablehangers 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610, 710, 810 can be arranged in a“stacked” relationship by inserting the locking projections of one cablehanger into the mounting hole in the base of a second cable hanger inthe manner described above with respect to cable hanger 10. The secondcable hanger may be identical to or different from the first cablehanger as needed for hanging the cable in question.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to beconstrued as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of thisinvention have been described, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined inthe claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, withequivalents of the claims to be included therein.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A cable hanger for securing a cable to asupporting structure having an aperture, said cable hanger comprising: abase panel having opposed ends; a pair of arms, each of the armsattached to a respective end of the base panel and having a free end; apair of locking projections, each of the locking projections attached toa respective free end of the arms; and a pair of gripping members, eachgripping member attached to a respective arm, each gripping memberhaving opposed ends, wherein one of the ends of each gripping member isfixed to the arms and the other of the ends of each gripping member isfixed to the arm or to the base panel; wherein the arms and lockingprojections are configured to spread apart to enable insertion of acable between the arms, wherein the gripping members engage and grip thecable, and wherein the locking projections are configured to be insertedinto the aperture of the supporting structure.
 2. The cable hangerdefined in claim 1, wherein the base panel includes a mounting apertureconfigured to receive locking projections from a second cable hanger. 3.The cable hanger defined in claim 1, wherein each of the grippingmembers defines a straight beam.
 4. The cable hanger defined in claim 1,wherein each of the gripping members is serpentine.
 5. The cable hangerdefined in claim 1, wherein each of the arms has an arcuate section, andwherein the gripping member defines a chord within the arcuate section.6. The cable hanger defined in claim 1, further comprising at least onelocating projection extending from each of the arms.
 7. The cable hangerdefined in claim 1 formed as a unitary member.
 8. A cable hanger forsecuring a cable to a supporting structure having an aperture, saidcable hanger comprising: a base panel having opposed ends; a pair ofarms, each of the arms attached to a respective end of the base paneland having a free end; a pair of locking projections, each of thelocking projections attached to a respective free end of the arms; apair of flex members, each flex member attached to a respective arm,each flex member having opposed ends, wherein one of the ends of eachflex member is fixed to the arms and the other of the ends of each flexmember is fixed to the arm or to the base panel; and a cantileveredgripping member extending from each flex member; wherein the arms andlocking projections are configured to spread apart to enable insertionof a cable between the arms, wherein the cantilevered gripping membersengage and grip the cable, and wherein the locking projections areconfigured to be inserted into the aperture of the supporting structure.9. The cable hanger defined in claim 8, wherein two cantileveredgripping members extend from each flex member.
 10. The cable hangerdefined in claim 9, wherein each of the flex members is a tripartitemember, and wherein the two cantilevered gripping members of each flexmember are vertically offset from each other.
 11. The cable hangerdefined in claim 9, wherein each of the arms includes an arcuatesection, and wherein each of the flex members is attached at each end tothe arcuate section.
 12. The cable hanger defined in claim 9, whereineach of the arms includes two straight sections, and each of the flexmembers includes two straight sections.
 13. The cable hanger defined inclaim 8, wherein each of the gripping members includes at least onelongitudinally-oriented flange.
 14. The cable hanger defined in claim13, wherein the at least one flange is two flanges.
 15. The cable hangerdefined in claim 14, wherein the flanges are positioned on oppositesides of a longitudinally-oriented slot.
 16. The cable hanger defined inclaim 13, wherein the at least one flange includes a longitudinal flatedge configured to contact the cable.
 17. A cable hanger for securing acable to a supporting structure having am aperture, said cable hangercomprising: a base panel having opposed ends; a pair of arms, each ofthe arms attached to a respective end of the base panel and having afree end; a pair of locking projections, each of the locking projectionsattached to a respective free end of the arms; and a pair of flexmembers, each flex member attached to a respective arm, each flex memberhaving opposed ends, wherein one of the ends of each flex member isfixed to the arm and the other of the ends of each flex member is fixedto the arm or to the base panel; wherein the arms and lockingprojections are configured to spread apart to enable insertion of acable between the arms, and wherein the locking projections arcconfigured to be inserted into the aperture of the supporting structure;and wherein each of the flex members is a tripartite member.
 18. Thecable hanger defined in claim 17, further comprising a cantileveredgripping tab extending from each flex member, the gripping tabs engagingthe cable.
 19. The cable hanger defined in claim 17, wherein each of thearms includes an arcuate section, and wherein each of the flex membersis attached at each end to the arcuate section.